DELL CITY, Texas (AP) _ Texas Department of Public Safety authorities say two people are dead after a head-on crash involving a pickup truck and a chartered bus carrying high school coaches and athletes returning to El Paso from a regional track meet in Lubbock.
Names of the victims were not immediately released.
El Paso Independent School District officials say the bus was carrying coaches and students from seven high schools.
The collision occurred early Sunday on U.S. Highway 62/180 in Hudspeth County, about 90 miles east of El Paso.
Statement from El Paso ISD Juan Cabrera:
At about 1 a.m. last night, I received a call from our Chief of Police notifying me that a charter bus carrying about 25 of our students plus coaches had been involved in an accident in Hudspeth County.
The teams were returning from a UIL regional track meet.
The bus carried students and coaches from Jefferson, Austin, El Paso, Burges, Andress and Irvin high schools. Coaches from Chapin High School also were on the bus.
Tragically, two adults were killed in the crash, including one of our own.
Irvin High School social sciences teacher and track coach Arcadio Duran, passed away due to injuries he received.
Mr. Duran was a dedicated member of the Irvin faculty and a devoted coach. We will grieve along with his family and work with his students and players to help them get through this difficult time.
Our students and staff who sustained injuries were taken to Del Sol Medical Center and University Medical Center. Their injuries were non critical and non-life-threatening.
I visited the hospitals this morning and our students and staff are doing well.
I want to thank the staff at Del Sol and UMC for their kindness and support in taking care of our students, staff and their families.
I’d also like to thank our fellow District families. Buses from Canutillo and Socorro were also traveling in the caravan from Lubbock with their own students. The buses stopped and remained with our students during the ordeal. They gave our students shelter and comfort. They remained with us until all of our students and staff were cared for.
It is times such as these that remind us that we are all one family, one community – all focused on taking care of kids.
My sincerest gratitude to our coaches and trainers who also rendered aid, with no regard for their own injuries or safety. I’ve already heard many heroic stories of the help our staff gave at the scene.
Our thoughts and focus will remain centered around those students and coaches who were hospitalized and in doing whatever we can to help them and their families.
We will have extra counseling support available at all affected campuses.